Posted on 07/03/2007 5:07:11 AM PDT by gpapa
One of the things that surprises me so far in the race for the White House is that none of the Republicans is positioning himself clearly as the anti-Bush. I think there is a yearning for such a candidate among the Republican electorate.
Here's some evidence. For some time, Strategic Vision, a polling company, has been asking Republican voters if they see George W. Bush as a conservative in the mode of Ronald Reagan. Not only did very few Republicans view Bush that way when the question was first asked last fall, but the number has fallen to the level of rounding error.
(Excerpt) Read more at townhall.com ...
"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelologus
Why in the world would a Republican want to run as the “anti-bush”? That is a defeatist attitude if I have ever seen one. Bush has made some mistakes, I grant, but we have all the anti-Bush candidates we need running now: Hillary, Obama, Paul, etc., and they are all losers.
Whoever gets the nomination at the Republican convention will need the support of the President to win. That won’t be enough by itself to elect the next Republican President, but without it the Democrats will win.
Flawed thinking. We (at least I) don’t want an “Anti-Bush”...
someone who seeks an “Anti-Bush” can go vote for Hillary or Obama. I want someone who is to the right of Bush on important issues, namely sovereignity and immigration, and who is more media savvy. That has nothing to do with being “anti”... the candidate just has to be more on the right.
"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelologus
Kiren Chetry had Duncan Hunter on CNN’s morning show today to talk about Libby’s commutation. Instead of dumping on Bush for not pardoning Libby as was clearly expected by CNN, Hunter zeroed in on the issue of pardons for the two Border Patrol agents who are imprisoned unjustly for shooting a drug smuggler in the butt on the Mexican border. That took the wind out of the sails of Chetry...a brilliant job of high-jacking the interview that one rarely sees GOP candidates do. Kudos to Hunter!
It sounds defeatist, crappy and just like admitting the left is correct with their hatred for Bush.
If it does mean someting different for the GOP, than it does for the Dems, we should coin an own phrase, instead of parroting the lefist moonbats, who own “anti-Bushism”.
Why not say we want someone to the right of Bush, or “no more moderates, we want a real conservative”. Let’s make clear we want someone more conservative, more right... “anti” implies to me, and I’m sure to most GOPers and Americans, something on the left.
On the subject of the "anti-Bush" -- President Bush has got a lot right (at one time or another). He cut taxes, he put excellent people on the Supreme Court, and Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya and Lebanon are all less of a threat to us now than they were. To run as an "anti-Bush" a candidate would have to express unhappiness with some of that. I don't see it.
I doubt it. Whoever wins the nomination probably won't want the president anywhere near them.
Bush won partly by advocating No Child Left Behind and Prescriptions in Medicare, and he got them done. So far, I don’t see any Republican advocating anything original. This is such a ho hum casmpaign we can do it with our eyes closed.
He also has a press office that simply doesn't do much of anything. Reagan faced a more monolithic liberal press by far, but was tenacious in getting a message out with clear themes, that couldn't be obscured by taking sound bites out of context. Even when ABCBSNBC editing the day's debate down to 15 seconds from a White House spokesman followed by 20 minutes of response and analysis from liberal experts, you knew which side wanted lower taxes and a strong national defense. On issue after issue, this White House simply refuses to fight back against partisan attacks.
Reagan also had a special charisma and charm which will be very hard to duplicate. Even his adversaries, like Mitterand and Gorbechev, found it hard to dislike him personally. One of the things that makes Fred Thompson so appealing is his ability to articulate a conservative viewpoint with a similar folksy 'there you go again' charm.
bump
I am more interested in finding a Republican candidate who is the anti-clinton.
I thank God George Bush was in charge when 9-11 took place.
There’s no money in being an anti-Bush, that is a liberal-democrat-socialist ploy. Conservatives just want conservative governance...
Out of my wallet,
out of social reform,
out of the business of business,
out of daily life.
ruefully...
“Whoever wins the nomination....”
More then likely that is correct, most President’s get a “bump” as their time in office expires, but with GWB, I don’t think that will happen for him.
A pity really as GWB has done some darn good things for America, from the Court to the War on Terror to Tax Cuts and Home ownership growth and there has not been a better time to be in an investor, from Bonds to Wall Street, making money in the GWB term via investing is completely attainable.
Besides, what would an “Anti bush” look like other then Rudy Guliani....err...maybe that is the point...
If that is the attitude of the Republican nominee, mark my words, he will lose in the general election. Republicans cannot afford to be divided next year in November. If we cannot pull together by then, we will deserve the Democrat President we help to put into office.
Nope. I don't want President Bush bashed. I don't agree with him on some things, but I don't want him attacked personally. His stand on immigration is fair game, but he's not not fair game.
Uh...no.
Conservatives have lost trust in him because he came within a hair's breath of selling our country out from under us....
..and I don't call that 'decent'!
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